Famous Stars who perished in air crashes

Plane crashes have claimed the lives of far more well-known figures than most people realize. From musicians and athletes to explorers and film stars, the following individuals all met their end in tragic aviation accidents.

Brett James

Source: Instagram

Grammy-winning country songwriter Brett James, the creative force behind hits like ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ and ‘I Hold On,’ lost his life at 57 in a plane crash on September 18, 2025, near Franklin, North Carolina. His single-engine Cirrus SR22T went down close to an elementary school shortly after leaving Nashville, Tennessee. None of the three people aboard survived.

John Kennedy Jr (1960–1999) and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (1966–1999)

Source: Instagram

The so-called Kennedy curse struck again when JFK’s son, at the controls of his own aircraft, along with his wife Carolyn and her sister Lauren Bessette, all perished after the plane plunged into the Atlantic Ocean while heading to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Joe Lara (1962–2021) and Gwen Shamblin Lara (1955–2021)

Source: wikipedia

Source: wikipedia

On May 29, 2021, Joe Lara — known for his lead role in the ’90s series ‘Tarzan: The Epic Adventures’ — and his wife Gwen Shamblin Lara, who founded the Remnant Fellowship Church, died alongside five others, including their son-in-law. Joe was 58 and Gwen was 66 at the time. Their Cessna C501 jet reportedly went down into Percy Priest Lake in Tennessee.

Bessie Coleman (1892–1926)

A trailblazer in every sense, Coleman was the first woman of both African-American and Native American heritage to earn a pilot’s license. She was thrown from her aircraft at roughly 2,000 feet after it entered a fatal spin and died upon impact with the ground.

James Horner (1953–2015)

Twice honored with the Academy Award, Horner stood among Hollywood’s most admired film composers. His score for James Cameron’s Titanic remains the highest-selling orchestral film soundtrack ever recorded. He died as the sole casualty when his turboprop aircraft crashed.

Ronnie Van Zant (1948–1977)

Co-founder and lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Van Zant died on impact when the band’s plane, having run out of fuel, slammed into a tree. Bandmates Steve and Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and both pilots also lost their lives, while the remaining band members sustained serious injuries.

Aaliyah (1979–2001)

Source: Instagram

R&B singer Aaliyah Dana Haughton and eight others were killed when their plane went down in the Bahamas, shortly after she had wrapped filming for the music video to her single ‘Rock the Boat.’

Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954–1990)

Source: Instagram

Legendary blues guitarist Vaughan perished alongside four others in a helicopter crash near East Troy, Wisconsin. The aircraft went down shortly after lifting off.

John Denver (1943–1997)

Source: Instagram

A passionate aviator as much as a celebrated singer-songwriter, Denver was killed when his experimental Rutan Long-EZ aircraft plunged into Monterey Bay, California. He died on impact.

Marília Mendonça (1995–2021)

Source: Instagram

Beloved Brazilian singer Marília Mendonça was killed on November 5, 2021, when the plane carrying her, her uncle, her producer, and two pilots crashed while she was en route to a performance in Minas Gerais. There were no survivors.

Rocky Marciano (1923–1969)

Undefeated world heavyweight boxing champion from 1952 to 1956, Marciano died along with his childhood friend Frankie Farrell and pilot Glenn Blez after their aircraft clipped a tree during an attempted landing in poor conditions at a small airfield near Newton, Iowa.

Roald Amundsen (1872–1928)

The first person to reach the South Pole, Norwegian explorer Amundsen vanished when his plane disappeared during a rescue mission. The wreckage was later recovered, though his body was never found.

Buddy Holly (1936–1959)

A defining figure of mid-1950s rock and roll, Holly was among the passengers aboard a small plane that crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa, shortly after departure.

The Big Bopper (1930–1959) and Ritchie Valens (1941–1959)

Source: Instagram

Sharing that ill-fated flight with Holly were fellow musicians J.P. Richardson, known as The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens. All three died alongside pilot Roger Peterson in what became immortalized as “The Day the Music Died.”

Frederick Banting (1891–1941)

The Canadian physician renowned for co-discovering insulin initially survived a plane crash but succumbed to his injuries the following day.

Patsy Cline (1932–1963)

Source: Instagram

Widely regarded as one of the finest vocalists of the 20th century, Cline died in a multi-fatality crash near Camden, Tennessee, piloted by her manager Randy Hughes. Notably, Hughes had been trained by the same flight instructor who later taught Jim Reeves — whose own plane went down just a year later.

Otis Redding (1941–1967)

Source: Instagram

Regarded by many as one of the greatest voices in American music history, Redding was aboard a plane bound for Madison, Wisconsin when it crashed into Lake Monona. The pilot, Redding’s manager, and four of his band members also died. Trumpeter Ben Cauley was the only person to survive.

Roberto Clemente (1934–1972)

Source: Instagram

Puerto Rican baseball great Clemente boarded a cargo plane headed to Nicaragua to deliver earthquake relief supplies. The aircraft went down due to engine failure, and his body was never recovered.

Will Rogers (1879–1935)

Beloved actor, entertainer, and humorist Rogers died alongside pioneering aviator Wiley Post when their small plane crashed in a remote area of northern Alaska.

Thurman Munson (1947–1979)

New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson died while practicing touch-and-go landings in his Cessna at Akron–Canton Airport. Both of his companions managed to escape the burning wreckage.

Carole Lombard (1908–1942)

Source: Instagram

The highest-paid actress in Hollywood in the late 1930s, Lombard was killed along with 21 fellow passengers when their plane struck Mount Potosi in Nevada during a return trip from a wartime bond drive.

Glenn Miller (1904–1944)

Source: wikipedia

The celebrated big-band musician, composer, and bandleader vanished over the English Channel in foul weather during World War II. His two companions — Lt. Col. Norman Baessell and pilot John Morgan — also perished.

Mike Todd (1909–1958)

Source: wikipedia

Film producer Todd, husband of Elizabeth Taylor, died when his private plane went down near Grants, New Mexico, also killing screenwriter Art Cohn, pilot Bill Verner, and co-pilot Tom Barclay.

Jim Reeves (1923–1964)

While navigating through a fierce storm over Brentwood, Tennessee, the plane Reeves was piloting was brought down by the severe weather. His business partner and manager Dean Manuel was also killed.

Audie Murphy (1925–1971)

Among the most decorated American soldiers of World War II and later a film actor, Murphy died when the private plane he was traveling in crashed into Brush Mountain near Catawba, Virginia. The pilot and four other passengers also lost their lives.

Bill Barilko (1927–1951)

Source: wikipedia

The young NHL star was returning from a weekend fishing trip when his plane vanished without trace. The crash site was not discovered until an astonishing 11 years later.

Jim Croce (1943–1973)

Source: Instagram

Folk-rock singer-songwriter Croce had just finished a concert in Natchitoches, Louisiana and was heading to Sherman, Texas, when the chartered plane went down on takeoff. Five others aboard also died.

Ricky Nelson (1940–1985)

A defining teen idol of the 1950s and a successful actor, Nelson died alongside his bandmates and companion Helen Blair when their aircraft crash-landed in De Kalb, Texas.

Payne Stewart (1957–1999)

In one of the strangest accidents in aviation history, champion golfer Stewart and everyone else on board a Learjet bound for Houston were incapacitated by hypoxia following a cabin depressurization. The plane continued on autopilot until it exhausted its fuel supply and crashed into a field near Mina, South Dakota.

Amelia Earhart (1897–1937?)

Source: Instagram

The disappearance of Earhart’s plane over the central Pacific near Howland Island in 1937 remains one of the most enduring mysteries in aviation history. She was formally declared dead in absentia two years after vanishing.